Peter Harrison's revelations on football's dodgy dealings will blow the game apart, said Neil Ashton.
Agent's claims could be best expose in footballing history
Peter Harrison's revelations on the dodgy dealings in football will blow the game wide apart, Neil Ashton told the
Sunday Supplement.
When interviewed by Daily Mail correspondent Ashton, former agent Harrison gave an astonishing insight into what goes on behind the scenes in football.
Harrison claims he earned £900,000 for a day's work when brokering the transfer of Lucas Neill, offered sweeteners to young players by buying them cars, and that the FA turned a blind eye.
"It certainly wasn't what I was anticipating," admitted Ashton on the
Sunday Supplement. "I was just trying to find an agent who had walked away from the game, who had fallen out of love with modern-day football.
"I was pointed in the direction of Peter Harrison and put a call into him. During that first meeting I was taken aback by the things he was talking about. It's the world we don't see in football. The public aren't generally exposed to the behaviour between agents, managers, chairmen and chief executives, and it incredibly revealing and insightful.
"The admission that he received £900,000 for a day's work to bring Lucas Neill to West Ham United in 2007 when Eggert Magnusson has just taken over as chairman. Neill was put on £72,000 a week; he was going to Liverpool before that.
"Also, some of the inducements to young players, giving the parents and players cash, houses and cars. Harrison justifies it as a business decision to give them those things in order to sign them for the long-term, and to protect the agent's long-term future."
Evidence
Harrison also revealed that he has plans to make a television documentary, where he will accuse two high-profile managers of taking bungs.
"Harrison says he's got documentation that proves this beyond doubt. That is the burden of proof in a criminal court," said Ashton. "The documentation is on emails apparently. If it is he's going to blow football wide apart with the evidence he's got.
"He's says he's going to make a television documentary, he's also going to write a book, and when both of those are published, provided the television programme doesn't end up on the cuttings room floor because of lawyers, it will be the best expose in the history of the game.
Ashton added: "Harrison is very critical of the FA and believes there should be a third independent party regulating transfers in this country. It's the first time I can remember that an agent has walked away from the game and actually revealed some of the dark arts."
